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Champaign's finance director says finances have improved as he prepared to step down from the job he's held for 31 years. Richard Schnuer touts the city's AAA bond rating from two agencies, as well as investments in infrastructure and downtown development the past few years. "We just don't throw money at developers without knowing the outcome," he says.
President Obama reflected on the achievements of his eight years in the White House on Tuesday night, telling supporters in his hometown of Chicago that they were instrumental in helping him boost the nation's economy, create his signature health care reform law and extend equal rights to more Americans.
The NPR Politics team and reporters across the newsroom will be live-annotating President Obama's farewell address in Chicago on Tuesday night, scheduled to begin at 8 pm CT. The team will be adding fact-checks and background to Obama's comments as he gives them. We'll be watching in particular for remarks on his legacy, national security, health care and foreign policy, among other topics.
State Rep. Michael Madigan on Wednesday will seek his 17th term as speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. He's not expected to have any trouble winning. Gov. Bruce Rauner and his fellow Republicans have spent years vilifying Madigan. But lately the party has gone further, trying to sway House Democrats away from re-electing Madigan as their leader.
On the 21st: We talked about President Obama's farewell address in Chicago. We also spoke with Chicago native Jason Diamond about his new memoir about growing up idolizing movie director John Hughes.
